Music scene is crazy, bands start up each and every day
I saw another one just the other day
A special new band--Pavement, "Cut Your Hair,"
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
Portland band
The Joggers are not technically a new band, but they are new to me. I saw them play two nights ago at
The Cactus Club before San Diego's
GoGoGo Airheart, and they managed to overcome the forgettable quality of their name even before their set began. The drummer (the one sporting the mustache and soul patch in the photos on the band's homepage--he played sans facial hair in Milwaukee) was manic while setting up his kit, and he couldn't help but sing along with the songs being played through the PA. Singing drummers = comedy, but this guy was singing when there wasn't any glory to be had, which I enjoyed. Buddy Holly's "Everyday" came on, and Joggers Drummer began doing handclaps while singing (and still attempting to set up). He walked offstage and past me during this song, and I realized at this point he didn't know the words and was just singing "blaster blaster blaster blaster blaster" during the verses. Hilarious. He was
into the last-minute soundcheck of his kit when he returned, and was so enthused to start the rock that he jumped out to stage right (I overheard him using this term, just to clarify) and strapped on the Gibson SG of the bearded guitarist to check his levels in the monitor for him while he was in the bathroom or out in the van. Joggers Drummer was/is a pro, all the way. This level of commitment is rare in the indie rock I intermittently witness being performed. The bearded guitarist returned during this moment, and stood in the front of the stage giving his drummer the double thumbs up for his efforts. Smiles all around. These kids were enjoying themselves, and they hadn't even played yet.
Their 45-minute set flew by in a blur of twin guitars, bass, drums, and samples triggered by the bass player with a foot pedal (this made me think of Geddy Lee, naturally). Joggers make music that may or may not be conducive to actual jogging, with the two guitarists playing parts that avoid the verticality of riffs in favor of horizontal flow (mixing in techniques from the virtuosic metal world such as tapping, hammer-ons & pull-offs without irony), a bass player filling all sorts of holes with a minimal amount of flash, and a drummer who can overplay when necessary but who keeps it all inside the bounds of the song. All of the referential namechecks mean nothing, though, when witnessing these Oregonians enjoy themselves and each other onstage. The only influence they list on their
MySpace page is Larry Bird, but if you go there you can hear some of their racket and decided for yourself about the music.
Back to the singing drummer: all four Joggers have vocal mics, and all four of them sing. Yes, the drummer gets his glory under the lights. There was a moment during one song in which they all stopped playing, the drummer hopped up off his throne, and they locked into some a capella four-part vocalizing that bordered on
shape note singing. This sounds hokey and forced as I reflect on it, or like a cloying gimmick Phish would work into the act, but it was fantastic when it happened. It was over in possibly eight bars, the drummer sat back down, and they resumed the rock they had momentarily abandoned. I would identify the song, but I have no idea what it was. Perhaps I'll "back announce" it in the future.
GoGoGo Airheart made the most out of their late start time (circa 12:45 a.m.), and moved those of us who had remained. Lead vocalist Mike Vermillion understands the importance of the handclap in the frontman's performance arsenal. Bassist Ashish "Hash" Vyas understands that it's okay for the bass player to jump down off the stage into the crowd and continue playing while interacting with the audience. Their new record "Rats! Sing! Sing!" is excellent and brief. There are photos of them rocking Milwaukee on their MySpace page posted by a fan named
Jerm, who was a dancing fool that night. I'd say more about these guys, but I stopped by here today to spiel about Joggers.
